


Conflict of Interest

by fukawas



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Assassin AU, F/F, No Despair AU, This has probably been done before, falling in loooove, i forgot to flag this as a multichapter fic at first woops, kaemaki - Freeform, maki is a bad gay assassin, no shsls either just an assassin trainee and a pianist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 09:17:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18206537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fukawas/pseuds/fukawas
Summary: “So.” The headmaster pulled out a file and cleared his throat. “Your target.”Maki opened the file.Kaede Akamatsu, huh.The picture of a blonde girl roughly around her age greeted her. Even with this small of a picture Maki could see that she had a calming aura to her, and her purple, intense eyes were unlike any she’d seen so far.Focus.Maki forced her eyes away from the picture and back to the information at hand. She had to concentrate on the important things, not the eyes of some stranger she was supposed to kill, after all.





	Conflict of Interest

**Author's Note:**

> hewwo guys this is the first time ive written anything in probably years and also english isnt my first language buuuut here we have some good kaemakis so hopefully that balances my writing out ^_^ im gonna try not to take too long with the 2nd chapter so enjoy!

**Conflict of Interest**

 

It was 4am, well before her alarm would ring, when Maki awoke from a nightmare. Hands made from smoke had been clawing at her, dragging her away from the children she considered her friends. Their faces had been transformed by manic laughter as they disappeared in the distance.  
“Brr.” Maki shook off the shudders, bugged by how much the dream had shaken her up considering nightmares had been a regular occurrence ever since the Holy Salvation Society had taken her from her orphanage 10 years ago to start training her to become an assassin. 

Deciding that going back to sleep wouldn’t be worth it, Maki got up to make some coffee, glancing around her room. It was sterile, with some kitchen utensils, a bed, a table with two chairs and a small window. Every trainee had a room like this, though that was only according to the headmaster and his assistants - Maki had never been to visit any of the other trainee’s rooms, since friendships among them were heavily discouraged. Not that Maki had ever felt the need to form any relationships with the others in the first place.  
She took a sip of her coffee as her glance landed upon the calendar on the table. February 2nd.

Her birthday.

Her 18th birthday, to be exact.

She let out a sigh. The feeling that overcame her was difficult to define. Excitement? Uneasiness? Either way  - _it’s finally time_

Someone knocked on her door at exactly 6am, just as she expected. She opened the door to be greeted by one of the assistants giving her a big smile.  
“Good morning, and Happy Birthday, Miss Harukawa!”  
Maki gave her a simple nod.  
“The headmaster is expecting you now.” The girl smiled again. “Good luck!” 

_________  
  
“Welcome, Miss Harukawa.” The headmaster nodded towards the chair across from him. “Sit.”  
Maki bowed to him before she did as she was told. She hadn’t expected any kind words after not hearing a single “Happy Birthday” for the past 9 years but she still found a glimpse of disappointment in her gut.  
“You know why you’re here, don’t you?”  
“Yes, Mr. Mamamoto. It’s time for my trial.”  
“That’s right. Everything you’ve been training for for the last 10 years will be put to the test.” 

10 years of non-stop training. Sneaking, fighting, studying. Killing animals, obeying orders, learning how to plan and execute the perfect killings.

10 years of exhaustion, devotion, crying and vomiting.

Hopefully, it had been worth it.

“This is your very first target. I have high expectations - you have been one of my most promising trainees.”  
“Thank you. I look forward to proving myself to you.”  
Maki didn’t allow herself to find pride in her abilities. There was nothing to be proud of when one was training to kill another human being. Still, hearing praise for the first time that she could remember sparked something in her. Maybe she was meant to be here, after all.

Now, it was time to use everything she had learned. On everyone’s 18th birthday, they would receive a “trial” - their first real target. If they were successful, they’d be granted the privilege to get contracts regularly and work freely with their clients.

“So.” The headmaster pulled out a file and cleared his throat. “Your target.”  
Maki opened the file.  
_Kaede Akamatsu, huh._  
The picture of a blonde girl roughly around her age greeted her. Even with this small of a picture Maki could see that she had a calming aura to her, and her purple, intense eyes were unlike any she’d seen so far.  
Focus.

Maki forced her eyes away from the picture and back to the information at hand. She had to concentrate on the important things, not the eyes of some stranger she was supposed to kill, after all.

“This should be an easy job”, the headmaster continued, “some poor sod wanting to see her dead over a piano competition. It’s pathetic, really. You can handle this however you want, however keep in mind that the way you execute it must make sure that no blame or suspicion will fall on our customer.”  
“I understand.”  
“Good”, Mr. Mamamoto gestured towards the door, “that would be all for now. Best of luck, Miss Harukawa.”  
She stood up to bow to her superior and left the room, her hand clutching nervously around the file she was carrying as she walked back towards her dorm to prepare for her trial.  
  
The plan Maki developed was simple enough - she wanted to guarantee to not make any mistakes. Years of training down to the bone should have prepared her, but actually using everything in action, on a living person, was something entirely different.

__________  


The only sounds reaching Maki’s ears were the crickets in the late evening and her own footsteps. It was a peaceful area on the outer sides of town, and she couldn’t help but feel jealous of the people living surrounded by nature while she knew nothing other than concrete and darkness.  
Maki walked only in the shadows, paying close attention to her surroundings to make sure no one caught a glimpse of her as she approached the large, pastel-pink building that Kaede Akamatsu was living in.

_Tacky. Then again, I guess this is the kind of building an uprising piano star can afford._

The target wouldn’t be at home for several hours according to the information in her file. Breaking into Kaede’s house would’ve been easier had Makis hands not been shaking a surprising amount considering she would merely be planting cameras and spyware to get Kaede’s phone and laptop passwords for today. Then, when she would return on another day to kill her by strangling her with a rope and then attaching it to the ceiling, she would be able to send the necessary fake goodbye messages to her friends and family in order to make it look like a suicide.

The window finally opened - the target didn’t have any proper security system, and thanks to years of training she knew how to not leave any traces - and Maki climbed through it into the living room. It was as fancy inside as it was on the outside, with floral patterns on the couch, pastel-colored walls and golden lamps.

_Ugh, it looks like someone’s grandma lives here._

The most impressive thing she saw was a giant piano. Maki could only imagine how many times a day someone who, from what she had heard, was considered a musical genius, would sit there and play. It was the first time she could remember seeing a musical instrument after the orphanage, where sometimes one of the nannies would bring her violin with her and play for the children. A chill went down the assassin’s spine before she caught herself and shook the memories off.

“Back to work”, she whispered to herself to gather her thoughts. Afterwards, she started quickly installing the tiny cameras, hiding them in plants, the lights and behind bookshelves. Now, she could easily monitor when the target was home alone. Maki then proceeded to the bedroom, where a queen-sized bed took up most of the room, with a wooden desk and a computer standing on the other end.

She booted the surprisingly old-looking computer up and got to work to install the spyware that could later get her the passwords she needed to access it. It only took a couple minutes before she unplugged the USB-Stick and -

_Footsteps._

She heard the noise too late to hide.

_Fuck. She was supposed to be on a date!_

Maki turned around, looking into horrified eyes of the person standing in the doorway. A high-pitched scream followed and even 10 years of assassination training hadn’t been enough preparation to not freeze right in that moment.

Kaede looked desperate as she threw her handbag at Maki, who easily dodged it. The pianist then slowly walked backwards, her yelling mostly incoherent, but Maki made out a “who are you” and “what are you doing in my house.”  
  
“L-look-”  
“I said - what are you doing in my house! Hacking me, huh! I- I’m calling the police!” Kaede’s breathing was heavy as she yelled at the stranger, grabbing into her own jacket to get her phone.

The headmaster’s words to avoid the target finding out about their client at all cost rang through Maki’s ears - she couldn’t afford to be discovered now. And yet, she couldn't help but take in every detail of the person standing in front of her. It was different from just seeing her file - she was _alive_ in front of her. Widened eyes - oh these purple, intense eye -, silky hair with small piano clips in them. A rosé-colored dress hugged her shaking body.  
“Wait!”, Maki blurted out, raising her hands to calm the other down, “I’m - I’m here to warn you!”  
_God, what am I doing?_

Kaede blinked in confusion. “You- what?” She was holding her phone now, not making any attempts at actually calling anyone.

Both their breathing slowly went back to normal as these seemingly completely contrasting people stared at each other, trying to figure out what to do and what the other was planning.

Maki tried to swallow before continuing but the lump in her throat made her feel like she was suffocating.

_I fucked up. I fucked up!_

_No. No! Okay, calm down - you can just win her trust now. This isn’t over!_

“I, um. I’m here to warn you.”

“Excuse me? You break into my apartment and stand in my bedroom all dressed in black and stuff to _warn_ me instead of ringing my doorbell like a normal person?” Kaede looked more pissed off than scared now, her arms crossed and her food tapping with irritation.  
  
It felt like thoughts were running through Maki’s mind faster than her blood was through her veins. Her quick wits were really being tested now.  
“I wanted to leave you a message instead of meeting you in person”, she finally settled on an excuse, “for both our safety.”

“Hmm.” Kaede’s foot stopped twitching. “So what exactly are you warning me of?”

 _She believes me. Thank god._  
  
“Someone is trying to kill you.”  
Maki had no idea if revealing this much information was helping or endangering her and her whole plan, but she had to be as honest as possible to win this girl’s trust.

Kaede audibly let out a surprised gasp. “Are you serious?”  
“I wish I wasn’t.”  
“Who? Why?”  
“I can’t tell you that, or I’m putting my life on the line as well.”  
  
The blonde fell quiet, apparently processing everything that just hit her, before she let out a sigh. “Come with me.”  
She lead them both to the living room, sat down and pointed to one of the chairs. “Now, tell me as much as you can. Why would anyone target me? I don’t have any enemies.”  
Maki sat down, realizing this girl had no idea that her recent success in piano competitions had quite a few people willing to do whatever it took to bring her down.  
Still, she couldn’t help but feel disgust towards the fact that anyone would want this naive, lively girl killed over a competition.

“Like I said, I can’t tell you anything other than someone wants you dead within the next week.”

Kaede bit her lip and took a deep breath while Maki could see the blonde look at her from head to toe.  
“Alright”, decided the pianist, “you look pretty strong. You’re not just here to warn me, right? You’re here to protect me. That’s why you broke into my room, thinking I wouldn’t trust to let you in in the first place!”

_What is she saying? Is she seriously that gullible?_

Every thought in her brain yelled “get the hell out if this deal”, but the assassin’s mouth moved independently.  
“Correct.”

Kaede’s hands clapped together and a smile lit up her face.  
“I knew it! You had this … aura about you. I quickly realized you’re not dangerous. I apologize for, um, throwing my bag at you”, she laughed.

 _She’s … glowing_ ,  Maki caught herself thinking. Everything in the stranger’s body screamed “alive” to Maki, which was unsettling considering the fate that should’ve awaited her.  
“It’s fine”, she mumbled.

“So … what do we do now? Wait! I should get you some tea first!” Before Maki could even react, Kaede had already disappeared in the kitchen. The assassin almost had to chuckle - this girl, this whole situation, it was ridiculous.

Now Maki finally had some time to think - she had about a week to kill this girl, and that should be easy enough now that she had gained her trust. Or at least getting the opportunity to do so would be the simple part - actually ending this person’s life was a whole different deal.

 _Okay_ , Maki started planning, _I don’t have the tools to take her out today, but I can simply return tomorrow and get this over w -_  
  
“By the way”, a voice echoed from the kitchen, “you can stay in my bed, I’ll take the couch, don’t worry!”  
“Huh?”  
“You gotta be with me to protect me, right? Or should I stay at your place?”  
Images of the dull dorm she’d been spending the last 10 years in flashed before Maki’s eyes. If the pianist came with her, it’d be easy for her to find out about the Holy Salvation Society.

“No, uh, your place is fine”, Maki reluctantly responded.  
“Nice!” Kaede returned with some tea and sat back down. “And how exactly are we going to make sure that I won’t be targeted anymore?”  
Maki caught herself biting her nails. That was a good fucking question. “I’ll - I’ll figure something out”, she grumbled.  
A soft giggle escaped the other’s throat. “Now that's confidence-inducing!”

_How can she stay so positive looking right at the possibility of getting god damn killed?_

It drove Maki nuts, but then again - she found herself inspired by this outlook. People at the Holy Salvation Society joked about her being edgy, quiet and mysterious when in reality all she’d done was to ensure surviving her training. Giving up had not been an option, even when she faced all those hardships. Maki wondered if things would’ve been easier for her had she been a person like Kaede - always looking on the bright side of things, always believing in the best in people.

  
_Oh god,_ Maki thought, _there’s no way I’m going to be able to kill this girl._

**Author's Note:**

> please feel free to leave any thoughts or cricitism in the comments if u want!! ;w;


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